Browsing by Author "Indongo, Nelago"
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Item Age and sex-specific risk factors for non-communicable diseases among adults in Namibia: A case study of diabetes and hypertension(University of Namibia, 2018) Indongo, Nelago; Kazembe, Lawrence N.Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a major public health concern in both developed and developing countries. In Namibia, NCD attributable deaths are increasing; estimated at about 43% of all the deaths. Mapping context-specific risk factors of NCDs is critical for public health interventions. This study aimed to determine the age and sex-specific prevalence and associated factors of NCDs, particularly diabetes and high blood pressure among the adult population in Namibia. Using the 2013 Namibia Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data, we generate agerelated charts for both women and men, and fitted separate multiple logistic regression models for men and women, controlling for age. Our findings show that, for both women and men, the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure increased by age. However, older men were more likely to have high blood pressure than women. Equally, for both women and men, the risk of diabetes and hypertension disease increase with body mass index and wealth index. Evidently, implementation of gender and age-specific interventions may accelerate reduction of disparities in non-communicable diseases burden. These may include interventions that encourage change of lifestyle like engaging in physical activities, eating healthy and regular check-ups.Item Analysis of factors influencing teenage pregnancy in Namibia(Medical Research Archives, 2020) Indongo, NelagoAbstract Teenage pregnancy (TP) is a worldwide phenomenon affecting both developed and developing countries; it is a universal problem. Teenage pregnancy is the result of the fact that teenagers are sexually active. It has not only become a public health issue, but also a media focal point. It is one of the main issues in every health care system since early pregnancy can have harmful implications on girls’ physical, psychological, economic and social status. In 2014 the World Health Organization reported that 11% of all births were due to women aged 15-19 years and approximately 95% of teenage pregnancies occur in developing countries [12]. This paper aims to assess spatial differentials of factors influencing teenage pregnancy in Namibia to help policy makers, program managers and health care authorities make better targeted decisions in planning and problem solving. The study used secondary data from the 2013 NDHS. The units of analysis were teenage girls aged between 15 and 19 years. Univariate and bivariate analysis entailed description of all sampled teenagers followed by ever pregnant respondents by individual and household variables. Multilevel binary logistic regression established the association between independent variables and teenage pregnancy using backward stepwise regression at 5% significance level. The results show that a total of 1857 teenage girls were successfully sampled. Of these 378 (20.4%) had experienced teenage pregnancy. Spatial distribution of teenage pregnancy indicated that TP is more prevalent in Kavango region with 15.6% followed by Ohangwena region with 11.6%. The region with the least teen pregnancy prevalence was Oshana with 3.4%. The results also revealed significant spatial association with contraceptive use and age at first sexual debut. Ohangwena region recorded the lowest level of contraceptive use among teenage girls. There are also spatial variations with regard to type of contraceptive use. The majority of regions showed high proportion of teenage girls had their first sex before the age of 15. Overall, the study concluded that teenage pregnancy in Namibia is significantly influenced by use of contraceptives, age at which teenage girl had first sex, education level, and household wealth status. It is therefore important for the country to scale up and expand adolescent friendly health services especially in regions highly affected. Innovative and education programmes in the form of drama or movie series targeting teenagers should be used as advocacy and information sharing strategy. Keywords: teenage pregnancy, spatial, regions, NamibiaItem Breastfeeding and complementary feeding patterns in Namibia(UNISA Press, 2019) Indongo, NelagoBreastfeeding and complementary feeding practices have significant implications for the child's health status. In Namibia, the Maternal and Child Health programme has teamed up with the WHO and UNICEF to improve feeding practices of infants and young children. The main objective of this paper is to examine practices of breastfeeding and complementary feeding among mothers with infants and young children aged 0–24 months. The paper focuses on examining the period of breastfeeding cessation by mothers and the time of the introduction of complementary foods. Information was obtained from 9 176 mothers of 16 237 infants and young children aged 0–24 months interviewed during the 2013 Namibia Demographic and Health Survey. A survival analysis was used to explore the effects of different variables on the time course of breastfeeding. Although breastfeeding initiation is quite high, most mothers do not continue to breastfeed to 24 months. Among children aged between 0 and 24 months, only 28.2 per cent were still breastfed, and continued breastfeeding is lowly practiced with only 6.1 per cent of children between 20 and 24 months still breastfed. A significant proportion of infants were introduced to solid foods before the recommended age of six months with 31.3 percent given some solid foods. Developing a breastfeeding culture that involves increasing the duration of maternity leave for working mothers should be considered.Item Causes and risk factors of maternal deaths in Namibia(University of Namibia, 2014) Lihongeni, Mulama; Indongo, NelagoThe main purpose of this paper was to identify causes of maternal deaths in all districts and referral hospitals, and to assess risk factors and determine underlying contributory factors to maternal deaths in Namibia. The study proposed strategies for midwifery practice in order to prevent maternal deaths. A retrospective audit of maternal records was conducted with detailed analysis of the 154 maternal deaths recorded during the period 2008-2012. Of the 154 maternal deaths reviewed, 58.4% were from direct maternal deaths and 41.6% were from indirect maternal deaths. Hemorrhage (37.8%), eclampsia (24.4%) and puerperal sepsis (23.3%) were the leading causes for direct maternal deaths. About 65% of the hemorrhage cases; 64% of the eclampsia cases and 53% of the puerperal sepsis occurred to women who lived in rural areas. The predominant recognizable indirect causes were HIV (45.3%); pneumonia (23.4%) and Tuberculosis (17.2%). Women who live in rural areas were more likely to experience a maternal death due to pneumonia (60%) as compared to those in urban areas. Most women who died due to HIV were aged between 30-39 years (75.9%) while maternal deaths due to eclampsia were most common among the younger women (15-29 years). Maternal deaths are less likely to occur to women living together with their partner than those who are not living together (OR = 0.53). This descriptive study identified a range of socio demographic, clinical and health system factors as possible contributors to maternal deaths in NamibiaItem Contraceptive choice and use of methods among young women in Namibia(2008) Indongo, NelagoThe present study analyses the factors affecting contraceptive use and method choice among young women (15-24 years) in Namibia. It also explores ways to improve the accessibility of health facilities and family planning services for young Namibian women with reproductive health needs. The study draws on largely quantitative data provided by the 2000 Namibian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) but also includes vignettes from focus group discussions with young women. The logistic regression method has been applied to examine the determinants of contraceptive use and method choice. The study examines the level of knowledge of contraceptive methods and sources of supply, decisions leading to contraceptive use and choice as well as service delivery and the accessibility of contraception to potential users. The findings suggest that programmatic strategies should seek to improve parent-child communication, strengthen educational outlets of information, and lead to the implementation of effective policy to cater for a potentially growing number of young contraception-users in Namibia.Item Determinants of fertility in Namibia(2012) Indongo, Nelago; Pazvakawambwa, LillianIn-depth studies on fertility in Namibia have been lacking so far. This examines the fertility trends in Namibia over the past 2 decades and examines fertility differentials across the various sub-groups of Namibia population, and factors affecting such differentials using NDHS data. Estimates of the amount of variance in the total number of children ever born that could be explained by each of the independent variables were made using multiple regression analysis for the three data sources. Overall, results from descriptive analysis show that fertility levels in Namibia have been decreasing over the past two decades. The decrease could be associated with an increased trend in the prevalence of use of modern contraceptives which doubled since 1992. Age at first birth has remained constant but age at first marriage continues to increase. As a result, postponement of marriage increases the probability that women remain childless or that they have fewer children than desired. Replacement level is projected to be attained much faster than expected and the study recommend for further research that focuses on policy implications of family planning programmes once replacement level has been achieved to maintain it.Item Explaining marital patterns and trends in Namibia: A regression analysis of 1992, 2000 and 2006 demographic and survey data(2013) Pazvakawambwa, Lillian; Indongo, Nelago; Kazembe, Lawrence N.BACKGROUND: Marriage is a significant event in life-course of individuals, and creates a system that characterizes societal and economic structures. Marital patterns and dynamics over the years have changed a lot, with decreasing proportions of marriage, increased levels of divorce and co-habitation in developing countries. Although, such changes have been reported in African societies including Namibia, they have largely remained unexplained. OBJECTIVES and METHODS: In this paper, we examined trends and patterns of marital status of women of marriageable age: 15 to 49 years, in Namibia using the 1992, 2000 and 2006 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data. Trends were established for selected demographic variables. Two binary logistic regression models for ever-married versus never married, and cohabitation versus married were fitted to establish factors associated with such nuptial systems. Further a multinomial logistic regression models, adjusted for bio-demographic and socio-economic variables, were fitted separately for each year, to establish determinants of type of union (never married, married and cohabitation). RESULTS and CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate a general change away from marriage, with a shift in singulate mean age at marriage. Cohabitation was prevalent among those less than 30 years of age, the odds were higher in urban areas and increased since 1992. Be as it may marriage remained a persistent nuptiality pattern, and common among the less educated and employed, but lower odds in urban areas. Results from multinomial model suggest that marital status was associated with age at marriage, total children born, region, place of residence, education level and religion. We conclude that marital patterns have undergone significant transformation over the past two decades in Namibia, with a coexistence of traditional marriage framework with co-habitation, and sizeable proportion remaining unmarried to the late 30s. A shift in the singulate mean age is becoming distinctive in the Namibian society.Item Factors affecting safe sex practices among first year students at the University of Namibia: A health belief model perspective(2014) Van Rooy, Gert; Mufune, Pempelani; Indongo, Nelago; Matengu, Keneth K.; Libuku, Erica; Schier, ChristaThe aim of the study was to investigate the level of awareness of condom usage among first year’s students at the University of Namibia. Data was collected among 578 students within the various disciplines of the university through self-administered questionnaires that tested their knowledge, attitude and beliefs regarding HIV and AIDS. Research assistants were at hand clarifying ambiguities during the completion of the questionnaire. To ensure a good response rate, the researcher arranged with lecturers for students to complete questionnaires during lecture periods. A multi-stage sampling technique was used - in the first instances the number of campuses were purposefully recorded and stratified in accordance with the subjects offered and then students were randomly selected from the various faculties. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21. Results indicate that 80.1 % of the students are using condoms with their partner (s) while 76.3% used a condom during the past 12 month’s preceding the survey.Item Gender equity and impedes of career progression in the nursing profession in Khomas region of Namibia(SAGE Open Nursing, 2022) Mwetulundila, Paulus N.; Indongo, NelagoIntroduction Women had for years endured impediments at the workplace in many aspects such as gender inequity and low pace of career advancement. The status quo is persistent despite the enactment of legal frameworks institutionalized to redress gender disparities in the workforce. Aim This study strives to explore gender equity, assess the magnitude of women in decision-making and to ascertain impediments that humper career progression in nursing. Method This study utilized secondary data collected from a thesis titled ‘Gender equity and career progression in the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Khomas region of Namibia.The main study employed a mixed method approach to collect information through interviews. Tools Two separate semi-structured interview guides that comprised of both set of close-ended and openended questions were employed to gather information from selected respondents and the key informant. Results The conception that women in nursing are less successful in their careers in comparison to their male colleagues is contrary to the study findings as managerial positions at the studied institutions are held by women. Cultural factors are found to hold less significance in impeding career progression at Ministry of Health and Social Services as opposed to organizational hierarchical structure. Conclusion The feminization of the nursing career that led to the predominance of female in profession is still unopposed as the profession is not showing a sign of equilibrium of the two genders.Item A hurdle negative binomial regression model for non-marital fertility in Namibia(2014) Pazvakawambwa, Lillian; Indongo, Nelago; Kazembe, Lawrence N.The rise of non-marital fertility, which seems to defy the Bongaarts model by decoupling marriage from fertility, has become a subject of interest in both the developed and developing world. Consequences of non-marital fertility are mostly negative particularly in developing countries. In Namibia, although premarital childbearing has been reported to be high and increasing, no studies have explicitly analyzed factors influencing non-marital fertility. This paper uses data from the 2006/7 Namibia DHS to establish the determinants of non-marital fertility among women by applying a two-part model, with one part to describe the presence of non-marital birth and the other part to explain its intensity (number of children born). Using the number of children ever born as an outcome, we explored various count data models. Based on the Voung statistics model comparison, we settled for the Hurdle logit Negative Binomial regression to model the number of non-marital births. Non-marital fertility in Namibia is associated with the age, with young women likely to have lower fertility compared to older women. Women with secondary or higher education had lower fertility compared those with no formal education. Findings also show that rural women higher fertility propensity compared to their urban counterparts even though there was no significant difference in fertility intensity. With regard to socio-economic status, fertility intensity decreased as the women got richer. Intervention efforts should focus on promoting education among girls and women especially in rural areas to improve their socio-economic status, reduce teenage pregnancy and non-marital fertility.Item ICT barriers for people with disabilities in Namibia: Evidence from the 2011 Namibia population and housing census(2011) Indongo, Nelago; Mufune, PempelaniComputer technology and the Internet have a tremendous potential to increase the independence of people with disabilities. We investigated the extent to which people with disabilities access information communication technologies (ICT) (focusing on access to computers, internet and mobile phone) and how their ICT access compares with the ICT access of the rest of the Namibian population. More specifically, we investigated factors that affect people with disabilities ICT access in Namibia. The study relied on the 2011 Namibia Population and Housing Census as the main data source for analysis. The results showed people with disabilities are disadvantaged in ICT access. The study reveals that education level, work status, age and place of residence are important factors associated with ICT access among people with disabilities. Results also show that there is less disparity between employed and unemployed individuals with disabilities than without disabilities. Additionally, the results show that those classified as “blind”, “autistic”, “hearing difficulties” and “mentally disabled” fair worse than people with other disabilities in computer, internet and/or cell phone access. There is a need to consider unique issues affecting ICT access for people living with disabilities to achieve Namibia’s goal of equitable access for all as envisioned in its Vision 2030.Item Non-utilization of sexual and reproductive health services and products in Namibia: An evaluation of men perspective(2012) Indongo, Nelago; Neema, IsakThe objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of Namibian men who do not use sexual and reproductive health services and products and investigate factors that influence non-use of these services and products. The study makes use of the data from the 2006-07 Namibia Demographic and Health Survey. A subset of 3373 sexual experience men was analyzed. Odds ratios, with 95% confidence interval using binary logistic regression were calculated to detect level of significance. Overall, the results show that sexually active men in Namibia engage in risky sexual behaviors. A high proportion of sexually active men do not also use sexual and reproductive health services which are available in the country. Only 36.6 percent reported that they had taken an HIV test. Non-use of condom at last intercourse and never gone for HIV test were associated with inaccessibility to family planning messages, inadequate knowledge of awareness campaigns on condom use and HIV prevention, inappropriate sexual behavior including having multiple sexual partners and casual relationships as well as socio-demographic characteristics of respondents (age, education level and marital status). The study concludes that, there is a need to mobilize and sensitize men on the availability and existence of sexual and reproductive health services and products as well as to encourage and support developments of intervention and sexual behavioral change initiatives targeting men. Qualitative methods to enhance understanding of the process surrounding the decision to go for HIV test and of the effect of stigma on testing behavior should be further explored. Male involvement in programs of sexual and reproductive health nature in Namibia should be revived and strengthening condom distribution system in rural areas would also go a long way to address the non-use of condoms among men in NamibiaItem Risk factors and causes of Neonatal deaths in Namibia(2014) Indongo, NelagoObjectives To identify the common causes and risk factors of neonatal deaths in facilities in five regions in Namibia. Methods This descriptive study was carried out atall health facilities providingmaternity care services in the five regions, A total of 498 neonatal deaths recorded in each of the facilities during the period under study January 1, 2010–June 30, 2012 were reviewed. These deaths were evaluated for age, gestational age, birth weight, risk factors and cause of death. Results About 46.4% of neonates who died had a birth weight less than 1500g and most of them had a gestational age of 26-32 weeks (45.2%). The most common cause of neonatal death was prematurity (n=270 or 54). Respiratory distress syndrome (n=131), birth asphyxia (n=88), sepsis (n=86), and congenital malformations (n=50) were also prevalent causes of neonatal deaths. The third type of delay (delay in receiving care) was perceived to be common (47.8%) for neonatal death cases, reinforcing the fact that two-thirds of neonatal deaths occurred at the hospital where the woman laboured and delivered.The most common reason given for the delay was a lack of facilities (including medications and supplies) to care for premature neonates, lack of trained and available providers. Other causes of the third type of delay noted were delays transferring neonates to higher-level facilities and delays in making the decision to perform a Caesarean section during prolonged labour. Overall, 102 (23.1%) of neonatal deaths for whom maternal HIV status was indicated were born to HIVpositive mothers. Fifty-nine (11.8%) of these mothers were on full HAART during pregnancy; 31 (6.2%) mothers were on ARV prophylaxis and 62 (12.4%) neonates born to HIV-positive women received early ARV prophylaxis. Conclusion The mortality rate was high inlow birth weight neonates. Measures to prevent neonatal mortality must be exercised with emphasis on skilled attendance at birth and appropriate care of low birth weight neonates.Item Trend analysis on gender disparities in Namibia's mining sector: Evidence from the Affirmative Action reports of 2011-2015(University of Namibia, 2018) Mwetulundila, Paulus N.; Indongo, NelagoGender inequality has become a global concern as it involves the denial of opportunities and equal rights based on ones’ gender. Namibia is no exception to this global phenomenon. The country’s labour force is characterised by inequalities based on gender, despite the various government interventions to address such disparities. Like many governments across the globe, the Namibian government through its Employment Equity Commission enacted the Affirmative Action (employment) Act No. 29 of 1998 to ensure that all Namibians enjoy equal employment opportunities and benefits. This paper examines the trends on Affirmative Action (employment) Act in the mining sector - one of the gendered sectors. It utilises data from Affirmative Action Act annual reports of 2011/2, 2012/3, 2013/4, and 2014/5 provided by the Employment Equity Commission. The paper concluded that the country’s mining sector is still dominated by prejudice, stereotypes, and discriminatory practices based on gender orientation. As a result, the participation of women in this sector is still minimal. The paper makes recommendations on innovative practices adopted by other countries in the retention and attraction of women into the gendered sector